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Dark Star by Matthew H. Hersch
£43.00
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9780262546720
Published:
15 Dec 2023
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
320 pages
Dimensions:
229x152x29mm
Weight:
0.406kgs
Author:
A captivating history of NASA's Space Transportation System-the space shuttle-chronicling the inevitable failures of a doomed design.
A captivating history of NASA's Space Transportation System-the space shuttle-chronicling the inevitable failures of a doomed design.
In Dark Star, Matthew Hersch challenges the existing narrative of the most significant human space program of the last fifty years, NASA's space shuttle. He begins with the origins of the space shuttle: a century-long effort to develop a low-cost, reusable, rocket-powered airplane to militarize and commercialize space travel, which Hersch explains was built the wrong way, at the wrong time, and for all the wrong reasons. Describing the unique circumstances that led to the space shuttle's creation by the administration of President Richard Nixon in 1972 and its subsequent flights from 1981 through 2011, Hersch illustrates how the space shuttle was doomed from the start.
While most historians have accepted the view that the space shuttle's fatal accidents-including the 1986 Challenger explosion-resulted from deficiencies in NASA's management culture that lulled engineers into a false confidence in the craft, Dark Star reveals the widespread understanding that the shuttle was predestined for failure as a technology demonstrator. The vehicle was intended only to give the United States the appearance of a viable human spaceflight program until funds became available to eliminate its obvious flaws. Hersch's work seeks to answer the perilous questions of technological choice that confront every generation, and it is a critical read for anyone interested in how we can create a better world through the things we build.
| Number of pages | 320 |
|---|
We will despatch your order as quickly as we can. If, for whatever reason, a product is out of stock we will contact you to discuss the likely delivery time or an alternative product.
| First Item | 2 Items & Over | |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £3.75 | £5.00 |
| EU | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| USA & Canada | £30.00 | £50.00 |
| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
| Collect in Store | free | free |
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2 Items & over @ £60.00 in total
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